Are grains, wheat, oats really bad for your health?

I don't get something. Mainstream doctors and nutritionists tell us that whole grains are good for you and provide fiber and nutrients. But those in holistic alternative health say the opposite and make some good arguments about why we are not naturally suited to digest grains - which includes wheat, bread, pasta, rice, cookies, crackers, oats, etc.

They argue that eating grains has caused a rise in a whole host of major illnesses and epidemics that have plagued humans in the last few hundred years, as well as an addiction to them. And they argue that the nutrients in grains, such as fiber, can be obtained from other sources such as fruits and vegetables, so that there is nothing in grains that you can't get elsewhere.

The bottom line here is to remember, all things in moderation. Over time our grains have been so refined that any goodness has been basically removed. I wouldn't say that grains are bad for our health, but unless they are in their pure form, they are not all that good for us. Basically they wind up as empty carbs with almost no real nutritional value.

Carbs will give you a quick pick me up without any long lasting effects. Oats are good but reading labels for nutritional info can help when choosing a brand.

Check out this documentary called "Fat Head" that supports the claims of the Atkins Diet and Paleo Diet. At the beginning, he debunks the "Supersize Me" documentary as flawed, and goes on to prove the opposite. The narrator eats a moderate sized meal at McDonald's everyday while exercising by walking a lot. He then loses a few pounds after a few weeks.

Then he goes on to explain, with clips from many health experts, why our notions about fat and carbs are wrong, and why high cholesterol is not unhealthy, and why grains and carbs are treated as sugar by the body and turned into stored fat, while real fat is burned immediately as energy. He also explained that calorie counting is oversimplistic, and that the key is in what the body DOES with the calories, not in how many calories it receives. Do you think he's right?

1. Are nuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds considered carbs or vegetables? Are they fattening? Do they have protein, carbs or fat?

2. If pasta and bread are carbs and make you fat, then how are the French able to eat all that French bread and baguettes yet remain thin? And how are Italians able to eat all that pasta and able to remain thin?

Winston wrote:1. Are nuts, peanuts, cashews and almonds considered carbs or vegetables? Are they fattening? Do they have protein, carbs or fat?

These are generally considered proteins but they can also be considered fattening in large quantities such as peanut butter.

Winston wrote:2. If pasta and bread are carbs and make you fat, then how are the French able to eat all that French bread and baguettes yet remain thin? And how are Italians able to eat all that pasta and able to remain thin?

My theory about this is that, at least in my country, people eat breads and pastas with little else to go with it. Examples such as macaroni and cheese, toast for breakfast and nothing else, pasta alfredo, spaghetti with only tomato sauce. There are no meats or vegetables to go along with these things, as NinjaPuppy said, all things in moderation. But so many people make entire meals around just bread and pasta.

Now, I can't speak for everyone of course, but since switching to a "paleolithic" eating style I had lost 65lbs(29.5kg) in about 5 months months. That's before I started interval weight training so I know that it's just from the change in eating habits. Everyone's bodies vary in small ways but the one universal truth to getting healthy is simply to build muscle. This will raise your metabolism, regardless of what you eat.

Sunshine wrote:My theory about this is that, at least in my country, people eat breads and pastas with little else to go with it. Examples such as macaroni and cheese, toast for breakfast and nothing else, pasta alfredo, spaghetti with only tomato sauce. There are no meats or vegetables to go along with these things, as NinjaPuppy said, all things in moderation. But so many people make entire meals around just bread and pasta.

Now, I can't speak for everyone of course, but since switching to a "paleolithic" eating style I had lost 65lbs(29.5kg) in about 5 months months. That's before I started interval weight training so I know that it's just from the change in eating habits. Everyone's bodies vary in small ways but the one universal truth to getting healthy is simply to build muscle. This will raise your metabolism, regardless of what you eat.

I can't really get my head around any actual "diet" but I like keeping my intake 'low carb' and I like the basic idea behind the "paleolithic" eating.

You're right Sunshine! "Everyone's bodies vary in small ways". I think we all vary in what is "good" for us as individuals. Having a healthy body has to do with an entire lifestyle and of course family history. Not just what we do or don't eat.